Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson might not be walking in Memphis after all as their tortuous route to a proposed June super-fight happened on another roadblock today.

Representatives for both camps cancelled a scheduled trip to the city after local promoters failed to come up with the 12.5million site fee.

Local promoter Brian Young and Michael Young, of the District Boxing and Wrestling Commission, who have licensed Tyson, said they still hoped to have the finance in place for an announcement tomorrow that the fight would go ahead at the 21,000-capacity Pyramid Arena, which is perhaps ironically home to an NBA franchise known as the Memphis Grizzlies.

But a final Monday deadline, set by Tyson's promoter Shelly Finkel and Gary Shaw of Main Events, who promote Lewis, is looming.

Also on Monday, the International Boxing Federation will meet to discuss stripping Lewis of their title unless he has signed by then to defend against either Tyson or their number one contender Chris Byrd.

The site fee, guaranteed in Lewis' contract, is threatening to turn into an insurmountable obstacle to the fight ever taking place.

The MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas had originally stumped up the cash prior to the Nevada State Athletic Commission's decision to deny Tyson a boxing licence.

Other states either refused to stage the fight outright or baulked at the fee, sending the circus further out into the margins in search of a home.

Los Angeles showed an early interest while both Georgia and Michigan immediately granted Tyson a licence but were forced out of the running.

And Washington's MCI Center, which emerged as a favoured venue two weeks ago, pulled out when officials suggested that rather than having to pay the fee, the increasingly desperate fight promoters ought to pay rent.